The present invention relates to the preparation of drinks using the principle of extracting a substance contained in a refill, known as a “capsule”, by passing a flow of water through it under pressure. The invention relates more specifically to an extraction device comprising a capsule feeding and loading system.
It is known to prepare drinks such as coffee from capsules containing a predetermined serving of ground-roasted coffee. Capsules have the advantage of facilitating the operations of preparing the drink, ensuring relatively clean preparation without leaving visible coffee grounds, and controlling the amount and quality of the prepared product.
The principle of extracting from a capsule includes the steps of (i) enclosing the capsule in a pressure-resistant enclosure, (ii) piercing one of the faces of the capsule, generally by means of one or more spike(s) or blade(s) situated in a part comprising a water inlet or injection device, (iii) introducing a quantity of hot water into the capsule to create a pressurized environment therein to produce the liquid coffee extract, and finally (iv) releasing the liquid coffee extract through the opposite face of the capsule which, on contact with projecting parts, opens under the internal pressure created inside the capsule.
In most commercially available extraction devices, the capsules are loaded manually and individually into the extraction capsule holder, this usually being a part corresponding to the base out of which the liquid extract later flows. The capsule holder may come in a variety of forms, as in the form of a bayonet-engagement spoon of the type used in traditional espresso machines. There are also movable drawer-type capsule loading systems in which a simplified loading movement (horizontal linear or other) places the capsule in the extraction system. Such a system is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application No. US2003089245A1.
There is however a need to feed capsules from a capsule magazine that does not require direct handling with the capsule but, on the contrary, encourages a more automated arrangement of the capsules in the extraction system. There is also a need to provide magazines of capsules that are all identical or, on the contrary, different, while being very easy to load. Such systems have already been described in a number of publications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,951 relates to an automatic coffee machines comprising a water heating and serving mechanism, a mechanism for storing loading cartridges containing coffee powder operating in conjunction with a mechanism that receives and moves the cartridges to place them in front of a hot-water discharging nozzle and to remove the cartridges after infusion, all these mechanisms being controlled by synchronized drive elements. Such a device is however very complicated and takes up a lot of room because of having to move the capsule between its storage point and its infusion point.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,832 relates to a device for feeding portions of ground coffee into an extraction unit having a magazine capable of accommodating a plurality of portions of coffee and means of unloading individual portions into the feeder device. The capsule release system is relatively complicated and uses several pairs of pins operated by pairs of actuating elements which in turn are controlled by an electromagnet. Each series or tube of portions of coffee possesses its own releasing parts, making the system relatively complicated, inefficient and expensive. The system moreover demands great precision and perfect synchronization of the movements of the releasing parts, which must act at the same time to avoid portions of coffee becoming jammed in the system. The more repetitions there are and the more the components become worn, such a system can become unreliable and prone to failures of greater of lesser severity. Another drawback is that the extraction chamber receiving the portion must pivot on the side to align itself in the direction of the extraction support before rising to meet the said support in a linear movement. The repeated combination of complex movements along several axes tends to affect the precision of the system, encourages premature wear of the mechanical parts and thus reduces the reliability and service life of the device. Another drawback is that extraction occurs from the bottom upwards, with the extracted liquid passing out through the top of the extraction support, which means that a tube must be provided to carry it to where the cup is to be filled. Such a configuration poses problems of draining the liquid and also of general size.
Thus, improvements in these type devices are desired, and these are provided by the present invention.